Airship.



j H. 9.3mm.

AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 27, 1911.

w Patented 001;.8, 1912.

3 BHEETB-BHBET 1.

H. G. BAKER.

AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 27, 1911.

Patented 0013. 8, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

H. G. BAKER.

AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 27, 1911. 1,040,60. Patented o@t.8,1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

nomen c+. BAKER, or HABLAN, IowA.

` Amsmr.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 8, 1912.

Application ledMay 27, 1911. Serial No. 629,804.

V To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE Gr. BAKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Harlan, in the county of Shelby and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and use- -ful Improvements in Airships, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to airshipsof the monoplane, biplane and multiplane types, and aims primarily to provide novel controlling'means for the sustaining planes.

One object of the invention is to provide in connection with the tiltable sustaining plane or planes of -'an airship of either of the above mentioned types, air current controlled means tending at all times to tilt the plane or planes to ascending position, manuallyJ `operable means being provided for tilting the planes at the 'will of the aviator, and against the tendency of the air current controlled means for automatically tilting the planes. controlling means in connection with the manually operable controlling means, pro vides for automatically tilting of the plane or planes to ascending position should the aviator become disabled, or for any reason finds it necessary to neglect the manually operable controlling means.

It is' another aim of the invention to provide gravity actuated means for automatically tilting the plane or planes to ascend- 'ing position should the forward end of the airship drop or tiltrdownwardly. In this connection, the invention also aims to so construct the gravity actuated controlling `means that should the airship tilt laterally,

it will be automatically righted, due to the tilting of theA lowered planes to ascending position.

The invention aims further to so con? struct the gravity actuated plane controlling means that it will be responsive to centrifugal force and 'will automatically tilt the planes when the ship is guided to the right or left so as to assist inguiding it.

For a full understanding of the invention reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of an airship of the multiplane type embodying the present invention. Fig. Q is a side elevation thereof. Fig. is a perspective view of two of the sustaining planes illustrating the manually operable and gravity actuated The provision of such automatic controlling means therefor. Fig. 4 is a' fragmentary perspective view of the under side of one of the planes. Fig. 5 is anend- View of one of the planes.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

In the drawings, the frame of the airship includes upper reach bars 1 and lower reach bars 2 connected and braced respectively by means of cross-bars 3 and 4, and the reach bars 1 and 2 at each side of the frame are connected by uprights 5. At their forward ends, the reach-bars 1 and 2 are Secured to spaced uprights G which are located between other uprights indicated by the numeral 7. Bars Stare secured to the uprights 6 and support the uprights 7 at their ends. The sustaining Aplanes of the airship are mounted upon the bars 8, as will be presently explained. i

The sustaining planes of the airship are indicated by the numeral 9 and each plane is preferably slightly curved from front to rear and/is of greater length than width. Brackets 10 aresecured to the under Side or concaved side of each plane and are mounted as at 11 to rock upon the rods 8. As illustrated in thedrawings, the planes are arranged in two sets or series, one set being y `mounted in the frame of the airship immediately rearwardly of the planes. At this point it will be readily understood that the aviator by grasping both of the levers 13 in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings may tiltall of the planes or either set, at will.

The controlling means for the planes which is gravity controlled, includes a rockshaft 15 journaled'at its ends in the uprights 6 and pivoted as at 16 to this shaft between its ends is the upper end of an arm 17 having a weighted Ilower end' 18. The arm 17 is provided at its upper end with a fao ,forward extension 19 carrying a cross-bar 20 and rods 21 connect the ends of this cross bar 20 with the adjacent connecting rods 12 in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3. Itwill be observedthat the arm `17 may rock or l swing ,with the shaft 15- and may also swing transversely in a plane with the axis of the shaft.; At this pointit may bestated that the -levers 13 being free to swing, forward swinging movement of the arm 17 will result v1n theextension 19 being swung upwardlyy and the rods 12 `correspomlingly moved so `as to elevate the forward sides of theplanes 9. n the other hand, should the arm 17 swing rearwardly, the .rear sides of the planes wlll be elevated. lf the arm 17 swingsto the right, the forward side of the right-hand plane willbe elevated and the forward side of the left hand plane will be lowered, due to the transverse rocking movement imparted-to the cross-bar 20. Rocking of the\arm 17 to the left will of course serve to elevate the front of the left-hand plane and lower the front-of the right-hand plane.

Secured at its forward end to each of the uppermost planes 9 is an" arm 21 which extends upwardly and rearwardly from the Y upri hts 6 and the shaft 24 extends forwar y between the rods 12 adjacent the uplrights 6 and the propeller 25 revolves in ad- Vance of the planes 9.

At the extreme` rear send of the frame of the airship there isarranged a transverse frame 26 in which are rigidly mounted a 'number of sustaining planes 27 which serve steadythe airship in its travel. `A frame 28 l l'is mounted directly in advance of the frame -26 and in this latter frame 28 are mounted a number of vertically disposed steering planes o 29, thevanes being connected togetherfor simultanepus swinging movement about A.their vertical axes.' A cross-bar 30 is carried at the lower end 'of the shaft upon which the'l middle one of the vanes A29 is carried and at c/the endsof this cross-bar are connected cables 31 whichare led forwardly. andconnected to the ends of afoot-bar 32 mounted inl the frame of the ship immediately in front Y of the aviators seat 14. A wheel 32 is carto ried at' the lower Aend of the said shaft upon -which'themiddle one of the vanes 29 is carriad, and when this shaft is turned, to shift v'the' vanes, and the -machine is gliding over the surface of the ground; thewheel will 'tn 'serve 'to guide the machine. Byf-placing the .to sustain the rear endv of the frame and` vthe vane and plane.

Ainsonne feet upon the bar 32 the aviator may lreadily control the vanes 29 and guide the airship in its travel.

When the airship is traveling directly forwardly under normal conditions, the avl- .ator will have hold of the levers '13 and will hold the planes at the proper angle. Shouldx it become necessary for him to release his hold upon the levers he may do sorand the air currents acting upon the vanes 22 w1ll act to depress these vanes and elevate thefronts of the vanes of both sets, thus causing the machine to rise.

of the planes 9, the weighted arm 17 will swing forwardly, thereby swinging up the Should the air currents acting against .the vanes 22 fail to depress vthem to such degree as to elevate the fronts extension 19 thereof and causing such tilting of the planes. point that' due to the air currents acting against them, the vanes have a constant tendency to elevate the fronts of thesustaining planes. 'Should itbe desired to steer the llt will be understood at this machine to the right, the foot-bar-32 is so 'i swung as to properly shift the steering vanes 29 and as the machine swings around the centrifugal force acting upon the weighted arm 17 will cause this arm to swing to the left, thereby elevating the forward sides of the .left hand set of sustaining planes and' lowering the forward sides of theri ht hand set of the planes. This will matera? the steering vanes 29 in causing centripetal movement of the airship. In fact', the ship 'l may be readily steered by -raising one of the levers 13 Y and depressing the other lever.

Should themachine tilt'laterally, while trav.-

eling in a straight line, the arm 17, in assumlng a perpendicular position will serve to elevate the forward sidesvof the sustaining planes at the lower side of the airship and depress the corresponding sides ofthe planes at the other side thereof.. rlhis will 'of courseresult in the machine being immei diately righted.

described the invention what v Having thus is claimed as'new is 1. In an airship,

mclined upwardly and rearwar 'y'with respect' thereto.

2, lln anV airship, tiltable sustainin planes, anl arm extending upwardly an rearwardly from each plane, land a vanev carried by each arm.

3. lln an airship, a'sustainingplane, and a vane carried by the plane'and inclined upwardlyJ and rearwardly with respect thereto.

d. lin an airship, a tiltable sustaining plane, and an upwardly and rearwardly inclined vane and direct connection between Y v5. an airship, planes arranged for corresponding' md nemans sustaining planes, and vanes carried by thelplanes and tiltable sustaining verse movement, and a vane carried by each 'plane and inclined upwardly and rear wardly with respect thereto.

planes, means connecting the planes for` simultaneous reverse tilting movement and for simultaneous tilting movement in a corresponding manner, upwardly and rearvvardlyy inclined varies, and connection between the vanes and the sustaining planes.

7. In an airship, tiltable planes, means connecting'the planes for corresponding tilting movement and for reverse tilting movement, means operable to tilt the planes correspondingly or in Areverse manner, and 'air current controlled means tending to hold the planes against relative reverse tilting movement.

8. In an airship, a tiltable sustaining plane, and air current actuated means carried bythe sustaining plane and arranged to automatically elevate the forward side of the plane.

9. In an airship, a tiltable sustaining plane, and air current actuated means carried by the plane tending to elevate the forward side thereof.

10.' In an airship, a tiltable sustaining plane, and air current actuated means carried by the plane and tending to lower the rear side thereof.

11. In an airship, a tiltable sustaining plane, manually operable means for tilting the plane and air current lcontrolled means carried by theplane and tending to tilt the same to ascending position.

12. In 'an airship, a tiltable sustaining sustaining plane, a lever carried directly -by the plane ,and manually operable to tilt the plane, and

aircurrent controlled means carried by the' Vplane and automatically operable upon the release of the lever to tilt the plane to ascendin position..

13. `n an airship, a sustaining plane mounted for tilting movement, gravity actuated means automatically operable u on downward tilting of the front of the airs i to tilt the plane toascen'ding position, an

air current controlled means carried by the i vplane and also tending to tilt the plane to ascending position.

14. In an alrship,` a tiltable'sustaining plane, a wei hted arm connected therewith `and arrange to tilt the plane to ascending position upon downward tilting of the front of the airship, and an air controlled vane carried' by the plane and also tending to tilt the plane to ascending position. 15. An airship, -a tiltable sustainin plane', a gravity actuated means connecte with the plane and operable upon down-4 ward tilting of the front ofthe airship to tilt the plane to ascending posit-ion, air current controlled means carried by the plane and alsotending to tilt 'the same to ,ascending position, and a manually operable lever for tilting the plane.

In testimony whereof, I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HORACE G. BAKER. [1.. s.]

Witnesses:`

C. F. SWIFT, J. J. McMAHoN. 

